The Black Knight's Second Chance
by Dminion
Summary: A fallen knight is given a second chance. Join in him on his journey as he ventures through war seeking answers to desires unfulfilled.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything in relation to the ownership of the characters of Fate/Zero or Fate/Stay Night.

* * *

He found himself sitting within a strange room.

Looking at his surroundings he found it to be almost like the lair of Merlin during his time in Camelot serving under his king. Knick-knacks and baubles adorned the brick walls. Glass tubes filled with unknown liquids softly bubbling and brewing within their designated containers sat on the massive table to the side. A fireplace, crackling alive with a warm flame in its center sat at the opposite side of the room, it was giving the place a warm feel when viewing it with the terra cotta colored wall.

Looking down towards his hands, he found himself dressed in a simple white tunic with brown leggings and a matching pair of boots, not unlike the clothes he had worn during the time of his lord.

_Just… what is happening?_

"Our young knight is finally awake I see?"

Twin pairs of footsteps and an aged voice, he looks up and sees two people, their silhouettes becoming visible as they stepped closer and the light from the fire illuminating their frames.

One was an old gentleman in green robes, the lines on his face and gray eyes showed his ancient appearance but twinkle in his red eyes belied his outward appearance. The strength of prana he contained was nothing short of astonishing as well, not even the servant caster as or any of the other servants from what he recalled had the same energy flowing through this man. No doubt, this man was wielder of true magic.

On the side of the man was another, female this time. Her appearance though sparked something from his memory, he remembered seeing her before, always behind and supporting his lord during the war.

"You are… Irisviel." He said in disbelief.

The woman smiled to him and kind. "It is nice to know that you remembered who I am Lancelot-kun."

"Just… what is amiss? Why am I here? This is not the Throne of Heroes…"

"This is not the Throne, just as you have surmised." Lancelot to the old man again. Said man gave a thoughtful look. "Oh, where are my manners, I have not given my name yet. I am Kischur Zeltrech Schweinorg."

Lancelot's eyes widened as information once given to him by the grail came to light; the wielder of the Kaleidoscope, an operator of the magic that gives him the power to move through parallel worlds. Then his eyes narrowed into slits, if anything with his time with Merlin, is that a wielder of magic always had an agenda, be it mischief or not.

"What do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?" The fallen knight asked sardonically.

"An experiment." Zeltrech answered promptly.

"An experiment?" Looking back on experience, it was best to heed to words of mystics and magicians, but that did not mean he would not try and see the bigger picture.

"As you may already know, my magic focuses on the operation of parallel world." Lancelot nodded when Zeltrech looked to silently ask for confirmation, then continued. "This experiment is to see if I can transmigrate your soul from the Throne of Heroes, in essence, I am will be returning you into the cycle of reincarnation."

"Why?" Lancelot kept his eyes on Zeltrech, trying to discern and conceivable deceit, occasionally switching to Irisviel on the occasion.

"Do I need a reason why?" Zeltrech shot back merrily. "I am a still a magus my boy at my core despite the power I wield, and nothing but the pursuit of knowledge whets my appetite more, well not as much as delectable frozen yogurts I dine on occasion." The old sorcerer had a slightly dopey look on his face as he mentioned his favorite frozen delight before it quickly disappeared.

Lancelot felt his eyebrow twitch in minor irritation, Zeltrech's little antics reminding him too much of Merlin's. "And what if I declined your generous offer?" And now he goes after the rub of it all, the catch of every deal.

"There is no consequence for declining." And still the sorcerer was starting to irritate him.

"Basically…" This time it was the homunculus of the Einzbern family that spoke. "If you decline Zeltrech-san's offer, you will be returned to the throne of Heroes, none the wiser, and awaiting the next time you will be summoned, if ever you will be summoned again. "

"It's not so bad you know. A chance to live again, redeem yourself in your own eyes, it's not as if there is really anything else for you right now. It's your own guilt and lack of forgiving yourself that has pushed you to this point in time, despite your legend." Oddly Zeltrech's smile had dampened but a small knowing grin was still on his face.

Lancelot thought carefully. Past actions coming into the forefront of his mind, could he truly allow himself to be forgiven? Could he forgive himself for the actions he had had done? Could he allow himself a chance many would sell their souls for, a second chance?

The betrayal he had caused to his king, Arturia? To his fellow knights? To the woman he had fallen in love with? Could he forgive himself and start anew? He wasn't so sure he could answer those questions.

"If…" Lancelot took a breath, steadying himself. "If I agree to this, what does this bargain entail?"

"Nothing on your part really." Zeltrech began. "With the help of Miss Irisviel here, I will transmigrate your soul from the Throne of Heroes to a suitable host in another world."

Something clicked in the knight's mind.

"Wait, host?" His eyes narrowed at the implication. "Does that mean that someone will have to give up his or her life for mine?" Lancelot stood from his chair outraged. "Fallen knight I may have become, but I have not fallen so far as to sacrifice an innocent for my own personal gain!"

"Yet you had slaughtered the men that called you a brother in the defense of the woman you love. How is that not hypocrisy?" Irisviel shot at the knight.

Lancelot took a step back as if struck, more powerful than any blow he had sustained from the war.

"What we are offering will not take a life." Irisviel continued her stern face from her previous barb turned solemn. "The magic of the Kaleidoscope is vast. Worlds as radically different or as subtlety the same as the world we originate from. We searched these worlds and found the most suitable way of inserting you in them. We will use the body of a someone who's time had ran out in one world, but not in another, just after their soul leaves their body to be reincarnated we insert yours into their body."

Zeltrech took over. "Afterwards, it is about molding the body that will house your spirit and give it the right qualities to contain your prowess; as well as making the necessary change to the timeline to reflect the changes we will be doing."

"You are not taking a life Lancelot." Irisviel said. "This life had already run its course. You are just going to make use what is leftover."

"So I will be living my life as a lie?" Lancelot asked bitterly.

Zeltrech shook his head. "No, not in the least, we will be making the necessary changes to reflect your existence."

Lancelot sat back down on the chair, thoughts whirling. The moment of silence was long, but both wizard marshal and homunculus took it patiently.

Slowly, Lancelot focused his eyes on them and nodded. "Alright, I accept your bargain sorcerer."

Zeltrech clapped his hands. "Wonderful, I knew you would agree eventually. Now, you don't have to do anything, we will take everything shortly, but I will need to tell a few things." His face took a serious image but his tone of voice was nonetheless the same jovial tone he was using.

"First, we do not know which world you will land in. I won't bore you with details but suffice it to say, because of the large scope of this experiment, I will leave the magic to choose the most suitable world and host for you to inhabit, this will be all a game of chance. Second, you're physical body will reflect the age of the host you will inhabit so please do not be shock if you find yourself in a body of a baby, that and gender."

Lancelot's previous ire started to return, and this time, _two _brows were twitching.

"Third, as with the grail war you will receive the necessary knowledge to survive in that world. Fourth, now as an added bonus we will be able to tweak your physical body in order for you transform yourself into your servant self, meaning to say, until you do take up the mantle of _The Black Knight_ you will not have access to your Noble Phantasms, but your physical prowess should not be hindered (too much)."

Lancelot caught the slight whisper Zeltrech covered with an exaggerated cough.

"In your case Lancelot…" Irisvield took over. "Your two conceptual phantasms, should be reduced, and your sword and armor sealed until you chose to switch your body to that of a servant. Though your personal skills should still be unaffected by this."

A bright light in the form of a gigantic runic circle started to illuminate beneath them. Zeltech smiled largely. "Okay you, sit back, relax, and enjoy your new life."

Soon the light started to grow brighter and brighter, until it was the only thing that filled his vision, and soon, everything went black and he knew no more.

* * *

**A/N:**

Hey everyone I'm back, things have been hectic at home but don't worry, I'm slowly making my way through. As for the status of my other stories, I'm slowly working my through _The Custodian_'s fifth chapter so it's getting there.

_Magister Magi Berserker_ unfortunately got a hit due to losing the chapter template (again) so I am once again putting this on back burner, anyway, after going through it my head from what I could piece together, I was going to scrap it anyway so this story will be on hiatus until I can work something out (again).

For this little number it will be more of a snippet thing…maybe, but after watching Fate/Zero and Lancelot's dogfight with Gilgamesh, gave me enough juice to start working on _The Custodian_ again as well as make something new.

So here is my newest work and what can I tell you Zeltrech and with a little help of the vessel of the grail sends our favorite black knight into the universe unknown and this will range a lot of universes (if and when I get to them). So far I have one in mind and will make use of his ability of using weapons.

As a treat to those still following on my other story here is a little sample of what I have in mind for out favorite black knight.

Enjoy….

* * *

_He couldn't believe the destruction that was being wrought in the colony. This was supposed to be a place of peace, a place far away from the war that had been happening in this new world for months._

"_No…" The despair began to well up in his heart. Innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire, their screams reached the very core of his self. Their homes, their loved ones, everything and everyone they held dear was slowly being taken from them, their world being shattered into nothing._

"_No…No….No!" The despair began to change to boiling rage. His form began to change, black flames began to engulf him as his armor started to materialize over his human shell making him into the force of nature he was once before. The near unstoppable juggernaut of the fourth Holy Grail War, the Berserker, the Black Knight; this time though was different, he would not activate his Mad Enhancement, no, this world's warfare was different and so he needed to change tactics to suit the world effectively. But there was no doubt he would exact justice for the people, and the red light of his visor focused on the enemies in front of him, clad in the world's weapons of destruction, these mobile suits._

_The Black Night would be unleashed, and woe to those who think to stand before this man turned monster._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything in relation of the ownership to any character or concept in the Nasu-verse or Cosmic Era. All I have is this story, and maybe the occasional OC.

* * *

"That memory again…" Muttering to himself remembering what had happened with the wizard marshal; he stood up and began his morning ritual. He made his bed, turned on the television, placed some bread in the toaster and hit the showers. He listened intently to the news as he lathered his hair and body and cleaned himself thoroughly, enjoying the hot water.

Soon as he finished he carefully puts on his aqua-colored welders uniform and retrieves the toast the just popped out. Starting his breakfast he continues to watch news about the war. The war between two different species of humans, or that was how it was being told. The war between unmodified Naturals and the genetically enhanced Coordinators.

Finishing his toast, and downing the coffee he had just made for himself while eating in one gulp, he closes the appliance, grabs his tools and hardhat, and makes his way to work.

'Wars… times may have changed the way they're orchestrated, but their purpose still remains the same.' His gaze wandered to the people around him, to the businessmen and women bustling to get to their meetings, to the children, teen agers, and young adults going to school, to the young couples and families, basking in the warmth of their love for one another.

'And yet here I am… wallowing in my own self-pity.' Greeting the security guard to the building complex he was stationed he immediately set off to his job. "Hey Lakeside!" He turned to see the foreman wave him over; he complied and moved over towards him. "Good thing you're here early, look, I know this isn't your specialty but do you think you can head over to section B3 and look over some piping?"

Lancelot Lakeside, that was his given name. Son of Ban and Elaine Lakeside he was orphaned and taken in by a kind lady by the name of Lacy. According to his history he was orphaned since he was a young boy due to an accident and had worked his way from nothing into a construction worker for Morgoeroete Inc.

Lancelot looked over the blueprints being handed to him and nodded. The foreman smiled. "Thanks Lakeside, I owe you big time, with most of our workers being redirected elsewhere by the company bigwigs we hardly have enough manpower ourselves. Anyway, better hop to it then." With a final nod Lancelot went of to do his work.

As he went about his job Lancelot began to lose himself in his work. He found his rather monotonous movement to be rather satisfying and comforting. But his thoughts still drifted to the past, to his mistakes. Was this really the way to find the answers to his redemption? He was a knight, broken as he is he still honors the code chivalry and honor to an extent. He still yearns to fight, to let his blood pound and feel the joy of testing his mettle against the warriors of this world in heated combat, but instead he focused away from battle, away from destruction and moved towards something that didn't drench his hands in blood. Even then, he still found himself conflicted, he yearned to be on the field of battle once again, but could he really do it?

Should he take up arms again, he would only be serving his own whims, and that was not how he wanted to go about it, not again, never again. Whether he would draw arms in anger, in practice, or in any conflict he wanted a purpose with which his blade would serve, he wanted someone to serve again, a lord, a king, someone who would give him the chance to redeem himself in his own way; to earn his place back into knighthood.

"But will I ever have that chance if all I do is live a life of whimsy?" He muttered to himself. Little did the former knight of the lake know; he was going to get the chance after all.

* * *

It happened so fast. Explosions began rocking the colony. Looking up from his work, Lancelot could already tell something was wrong. Screams and the sound of people stampeding were rising and more destruction rained.

"Help, my daughter needs help!"

Lancelot rushed to a nearby woman who was frantically calling for assistance. Her eyes showed relief as she saw him arrive. "Please you have to help, my daughter's leg…!" Lancelot looked down and saw a girl no older than six, crying, her leg trapped beneath debris that had nearly crushed her, blood was pooling and Lancelot knew her leg was broken if not shattered.

Without missing a beat, Lancelot began digging frantically, moving large pieces of concrete and metal that the mother would have had a hard time moving by herself if she could at all.

"We need to get her to a nearby shelter, all the shelters on the colony have an emergency first aid station for treating injuries." He told the mother as he gingerly placed the girl in a bridal carry.

"There' s a nearby shelter just a few corridors down from here." The mother said. Lancelot nodded.

"Alright, lead the way. We need to hurry or your daughter won't last long." Lancelot said and the mother needed no further prompting and the two sped off. Just as the mother said, a few minutes later and a few turns down the nearby corridors and they found an access elevator for a shelter.

"Please, my daughter is injured, let us in!" The mother nearly screamed into the intercom.

A male voice replied back. "How many of you are there? We only have enough space for two more." Both Lancelot looked at the mother looked at each other as the elevator appeared before them, doors opening to admit its future occupants.

"You take your daughter and go down, I'll find another shelter." Lancelot told the mother as he placed the girl he was carrying in her arms. He placed his hands on the mother's back as he stepped back urging her inside.

"Thank you…" Tears were streaming down her face in gratitude as the elevator closed. As soon the mother-daughter pair were out of sight Lancelot bolted onwards, but finding a shelter was the furthest thing from his mind.

* * *

'There's just, so much pain…' Lancelot breathed heavily as he helped yet again another family enter a shelter, and once again, there wasn't enough room to accommodate him. 'It doesn't matter…' He waved at the young boy who looked sad to see him go. 'It is a knight's duty is to protect the weak.'

Lancelot paid little attention to the many explosions or the raging battle going on within the colony. He only gave notice to those that needed help. "Please help, my father. He's injured." This time it was a young man calling for help.

'If the other's could see me now.' The former knight of the round table thought as he raced towards the source. There he saw a young man in his mid-teens carrying a heavyset man who was undoubtedly his father. The young man looked relieved when he saw Lancelot moving to help him and once again, the black knight felt himself lighter as he helped another to safety.

'The fighting seems to have quelled for the time being.' Wiping away a bit of sweat, Lancelot took time to observe his surroundings. He then spotted something in the distance. 'A warship? His thoughts were distracted as more cries for help reached his ears.

Taking a deep breath Lancelot once again resumed his duty in helping the civilians. Though try as he might to reach them, it was for naught. Rounding another corner to reach the main streets winds began to pick up, debris and anything not held down was being sucked into space as a large hole was blasted through the side of the colony. That also included those who were not able to reach safety yet.

Pushing his human shell further, Lancelot bounded to the nearest ones he could save.

"Help me!"

A little boy, no older than six was crying to him as he was rising from the ground about to be sucked into the void. Lancelot reached out to grab the tiny outstretched hand.

Only to miss by a few scant millimeters, and the former knight watched as the young boy and several others vanished into the vastness of space, never to be seen again.

"No…"

He couldn't believe the destruction that was being wrought in the colony. This was supposed to be a place of peace, a place far away from the war that had been brewing in this world for months.

"No…"

The despair began to well up in his heart. Innocent bystanders getting caught in the crossfire, their screams reached the very core of his self. Their homes, their loved ones, everything and everyone they held dear was slowly being taken from them, their world being shattered into nothing.

"No…No….No!"

The despair began to change to boiling rage. His form began to change, black flames began to engulf him as his armor started to materialize over his human shell making him into the force of nature he was once before. The near unstoppable juggernaut of the fourth Holy Grail War, the Berserker, the Black Knight; this time though was different, he would not activate his Mad Enhancement, no this world's warfare was different and so he needed to change tactics to suit the world effectively. But there was no doubt he would exact justice for the people, and the red light of his visor focused on the enemies in front of him, clad in the world's weapons of destruction, these mobile suits.

The Black Night would be unleashed, and woe to those who think that stand before this man turned monster.

* * *

His form shifted and with a speed no human would be able to comprehend, The Black Knight took off. His destination clear, he started building more and more speed until he was nothing more than a blur. With his speed it took some time but at last he reached the base of the colony's shaft, and without missing a beat he leapt up and began running on its side. If the knight was to get answers then that white warship was the best place to get it.

It wasn't long until the knight's honed senses picked up the signs of battle once again. Still, he paid it no heed. The knight jumped, dodging a laser blast that disintegrated a piece of the shaft he was on a scant few seconds ago making debris splay out in all directions. Without missing a single step the black knight's hand shot out catching a rather large remnant of a steel girder. A steel girder made of material to withstand the pressure of immense weight and the vacuum of space was beginning to be the corrupted. The prana from the knight's body began seeping into the metal, making it stronger than anything known to man, becoming a crystallized mystery. It was becoming a Noble Phantasm.

Continuing his pace, the knight observed the ongoing battle. Two mobile suits, one recognized as ZAFT's GINN unit and a mobile suit of unknown design, painted with a bright blue, white, and red color scheme were dueling near the shaft. The white warship he had seen earlier was dealing with two more GINNS while a red mobile suit of unknown design was floating and observing the scene.

Picking up his pace the knight saw his chance as the mobile suits near the colony shaft drifted closer. Launching the girder he held like a javelin, the knight jumped after his thrown projectile at the GINN.

His aim true, his temporary weapon hit the GINN's weapon, slicing it two. Soon the Black Knight reached the ZAFT weapon. His momentum and the colony's already unstable gravity allowed him to plow into the mobile suit, pushing it away from its opponent. At the moment of contact tendrils started to go over the GINN, corrupting it, making it his own, he would find his answers, but for now, he would have to deal with the pilot inside.

* * *

_Kira Yamato, currently piloting the secretly developed mobile suit Strike, was stunned when the GINN he was facing was attacked. The assault happened so fast that Kira barely had time to register what had happened. _

_He was about to block another attack with the Strike's Panzer Eisen when something long and black sliced through the GINN's M69 Ion Cannon. This attack was followed by a smaller, but still black, shape tackling the mobile suit, sending it careening down for a swift crash landing, followed this. _

'_What in the world…was that?'_

_His thoughts were disturbed as he was hailed for help by the advance warship, Archangel; that and the red mobile suit he thought he saw an old friend enter mere hours ago was approaching him._

* * *

The Black Knight took notice of the battle's ensuing damage to the colony; he had to work fast as the colony was beginning to break apart. Willing the machine to his bidding, the GINN's cockpit opened revealing a confused pilot. The black knight reached out from his position above the opening as the pilot tried to escape from his failing machine, grabbing the man by his suit's helmet. Regardless of the fact that the pilot was just following orders, the Black Knight did not care as he callously snapped the man's neck with minimal effort.

The Black Knight knew what it was like when the civilians get caught in the crossfire of battles, but as of right now, there would be no saving the colony, he knew that as well. Getting into the GINN, closing the cockpit, the Black Knight's form began to change, and once again he had become Lancelot Lakeside.

Once inside and alone with thoughts, his burst of adrenaline and anger abated he turned on the machine to minimum, and watched with apathy as the colony began to literally fall apart. His knowledge of the world he found himself him assured him that the civilians that had made it to the shelters would be safe, but that couldn't be said those that weren't able to.

Lancelot supposed that it was a matter time. He was a figure drawn to the battlefield. It was apparent now that he would no longer be able to avoid the upcoming conflict. If not of his own volition he was to be drawn into battle by the hand of fate.

The question now was, where was he to go now?

He wanted answers; answers to the destruction of the colony, and answer he had to find for more personal reasons. He had to find an answer to what he was to do now, what was he to become now? And the best place for that was the white warship he had seen, but he was in a ZAFT mobile suit and he was not so sure if the captain aboard would allow him to come aboard if they won't try to destroy him first. ZAFT was out of the question as well; they would most likely kill him if they capture him piloting one of their mobile suits and the fact that he killed the pilot made the prospect even worse. Then there was the fact that the GINN he was now piloting would undoubtedly run out of oxygen or power.

Lancelot sighed. "Then there is no other option then." But before anything else, something caught his attention. "A lifeboat…" Lancelot placed the GINN under full power, his personal skill of allowing himself mastery of every type of conceivable weapon already kicking in, and immediately began making his way to the escape vessel to verify its status at least for a peace of mind.

As he was about to reach the lifeboat, Lancelot's honed danger sense kicked in, maneuvering his mobile suit with a quick reverse the GINN was able to dodge an attack that would surely have cleaved the suit in two.

"I won't let you hurt anymore civilians!"

Young…

That was the first thing Lancelot thought as he made his suit draw its sword. Quickly pressing a few buttons he sent a transmission to the mobile suit that had attacked him. "I do not mean any harm. I am not part of ZAFT forces; I was just going to check the status of the lifeboat. I'm from Heliopolis as well."

"Eh?"

Soon a video come online along with audio and Lancelot was surprised to see a familiar face.

"Kira?"

It was a young man in his mid-teens, brown hair and purple eyes, his name is Kira Yamato an engineering student that Lancelot had worked with a couple times on recommendation from the young man's professor.

"Lancelot-san!" Surprise was also thrown back at him, but the young man smiled and his suit quickly sheathed its rather large beam saber, as did his newly acquired GINN. "It's good to see you again Lancelot-san." The young man smiled with relief.

Lancelot himself returned it with a nod. "It's good to see you too lad, but what in the lord's name are you doing piloting that mobile suit?"

Kira looked down. "It's because… I was the only one who can." He mumbled.

Lancelot already recognized the signs the young man was exhibiting, conscription, and Kira was already reaching the stages of fallout. "Hey, would you have rather let the down the people you were trying to protect?" Lancelot knew enough about the boy's character to know that Kira would not intentionally harm anyone if he had a choice, and so if not a fighter, he was a protector. Something he once was a long, long time ago.

Kira stayed silent for a moment, and then Lancelot saw the boy's became hardened. "The lifeboat's propulsion system is down." Kira told him, and Lancelot heard furious typing. "Life support system is alright but without the propulsion system to keep it stable the lifeboat might wander aimlessly away from the others."

"_X105-Strike, please respond."_

A crisp female voice was coming in from Kira's other line. Kira stopped as he heard it, Lancelot stayed silent as he continued observing.

"_X105-Strike, please respond."_ The transmission came again. _"X105-Strike, Kira Yamato, if you are alright please, respond."_

"This is X105-Strike, Kira Yamato, I am fine. I will be returning shortly to the Archangel." The young man responded. Lancelot himself raised his brow slightly. Archangel, a strange name, but given its white color scheme, it seemed to be appropriate for some reason. He was also a bit impressed that Kira was able to collect himself, maybe seeing a familiar face was able to calm the teen down.

Kira sighed then looked towards him through the video transmission screen. "Lancelot-san, you should come with me to the Archangel, if anything, it might be safer there than floating out here by yourself." Kira then looked thoughtful. "By the way, how did you get a GINN in the first place?"

Lancelot nodded, but he smirked at the young man's question. "I have my secrets. In any case, it will be better if you take the lifeboat, I don't know how trigger happy your friends on that ship are, but I won't take the risk of getting the civilians shot at." He told the Strike pilot. Kira nodded solemnly at his reasoning, and after using the Strike to collect the colony lifeboat, the two began making their way to the Archangel.

* * *

_Meanwhile on the Archangel herself, acting commander Lieutenant Murrue Ramius was discussing the next course of action with Lieutenant Mu La Flaga, otherwise known as the Hawk of Endymion. In short, their discussion only revealed that things were a bit grim._

_"Enemy mobile suit detected, it's a GINN!" On of their CIC officers, Jackie Tonomura called out in alarm._

_"Shit, did they find us already?" Mu immediately went back to his seat. Murrue herself was about to alert the rest of the ship when a transmission burst appeared on screen._

_"Rammius-san. Wait, the one piloting the GINN is not an enemy. He's someone I know from Heliopolis. He's requesting to come aboard and will allow himself to be place under your discretion." The message from the Strike's impromptu pilot surprised and confused them._

_"Lieutenant." Murrue looked towards her XO, Ensign Natarle Badgiruel._

_Murrue stayed silent, but then nodded to her XO. "Alright, let him board, have a guard ready to greet him and bring him to the Captain's quarters." She then stood up. "Lieutenant Flaga, Ensign Badgiruel, you two, with me. Officer Neumann you have control of the bridge; make sure all of you keep an eye out for any signs of the ZAFT ships or the stolen mobile suits. We can't afford a direct confrontation this time." Murrue and the two officers she called immediately left the bridge, intending to manage the situation that had just arisen._

* * *

Lancelot sighed as he sat in the chair in front of a desk. He was in the captain's quarters of the ship, that there was no doubt if the lavish furnishing were anything to go by. There were three other people with him in the room.

Two females and one male; the male was blond, short hair, and had an air of a veteran fighter. The man reminded him of Sir Galahad, a charming intellectual, but also a formidable fighter in his own right. He stood at the left side of the desk, his stance neutral but Lancelot could see his muscle tense, ready to spring at a moments notice.

The women however were different. They exuded a clear and crisp code of conduct unlike their associate who was more laid back. There were two differences though he could tell just by looking at their eyes. The auburn haired woman sitting at the desk, while adhering to military code had a deep loss and he could tell the woman was warm-hearted unlike battle hardened soldiers Lancelot himself had come to meeting. The other woman stood opposite their blonde compatriot, he could see unbend-able steel. She still held her emotions but it was tightly controlled, she almost reminded Lancelot of his own self. Lancelot wondered if this was some form of mocking irony being thrown at him.

The three of them were silent for a while, all of them trying to perceive why he was here and deciding what to do about him. The auburn woman pressed a button on a nearby terminal; she looked at what was displayed to her for a moment before looking back at him.

"Your name is Lancelot Lakeside correct?" She began a series of questions, which he answered. His history, his residency at Heliopolis, his occupation at the colony, they were confirming his identity. Throughout this interrogation, only the auburn haired woman spoke, they were grilling him on information they had gotten from his identification card. It was more of a test of character then information gathering.

Then came the inevitable question about the mobile suit he had acquisitioned.

Lancelot twisted the truth here. He told them he was looking for a shelter when debris plummeted and blocked the passage of an alley he was about to exit. Before he could double-back the GINN crashed in front of him, sealing him in the alley. He told them he saw the pilot escape and Lancelot told them he knew enough of basic military operating procedures to know that the GINN pilot had activated the self-destruct sequence. He told him his was able to stop the sequence, and was able to repair the damage done to the system to get it running just before the colony broke apart.

In hindsight, Lancelot knew there were a lot of discrepancies in his story. The knight of the lake couldn't help it though. His skill lay with the blade, not with words. Wordplay was usually the forte of Merlin, Guinevere, Sir Bedivere, and even Morgan le Fey.

After hearing his story, his interrogator thanked him and finally introduced herself and her colleagues. Then promptly called the guards and told them to bring him to a cell in the brig, but to also provide some comforts as well. They were playing safe, that was a good sign in Lancelot's own opinion. As he left he could tell the three officers would have much to discuss about him.

* * *

_"So, what do you make of him?" Murrue looked to both Natarle and Mu._

_"Honestly…" Natarle began. "His story is full of holes. He's a security risk and must be dealt with accordingly." To the point, that meant an armed guard on the man at all times, basically becoming a POW._

_Mu nodded. "I agree about his story being fishy, for now it would be prudent to keep him under observation, at least until we can be clear about his intentions. On the side, what do we do about our current situation?"_

_Murrue sighed as she was reminded of the situation regarding the Archangel. "As it stands we are being chased by two ZAFT ships; one of them being a Nazca-class ship, which was capable of outrunning the Archangel herself. Then there were the four stolen mobile suit prototypes, and according to Mu, Rau Le Crueset a cunning tactician and a proficient pilot himself is leading the two ships._

_"As I can see it we have three options." Mu began ticking of his fingers. "One we make a break for the lunar base on the moon. Two, we try our Eurasian allies at Artemis. Three, we surrender." He added a small smirk when he said the last option._

_Natarle clicked her tongue. "Surrendering is not an option to consider at all Lieutenant."_

_"It seems that our best choice lies with our Eurasian allies at Artemis." Murrue said. The implication of the choice was something all three knew given the circumstances. A secretly developed warship and mobile suit was basically a meal ticket, and that's if they make it to Artemis in the first place._

_"Alright, we will go to Artemis." Murrue stood up from her seat and the three returned to the bridge to issue the orders needed for their next move._

* * *

Lancelot lay on the cot provided in the cell. There was not much else he could do but contemplate on things. Mostly though he was reminiscing. He wondered what would his king have thought if she was to see him now? Honestly, Arturia would probably be glad he was being given this 'second chance'. At the same time she would be sad on his what he had been doing thus far.

'What am I doing really?' He thought to himself as he remembered the things he did as the Berserker of the Fourth Holy Grail war; the fights with the golden haired archer who he dimly remembered as the King of Uruk, the King of Heroes Gilgamesh; his maddened outburst at Aturia in which he almost accomplished in killing her if not for several circumstances.

'I just keep falling further and further. I had committed infidelity with the queen, killed my own comrades for personal gain, point my own sword at my lord, one who I promised to serve faithfully. Is there really any redemption at all for me?'

His musing was disturbed when alarms began to wail. 'Going into battle with civilians on-board…' The thought became disgusting but he understood it was once again due to circumstances. 'Still, there is little I can do for now without truly revealing everything. Looks like you will have to protect everyone aboard this ship Kira.' Tuning to his side Lancelot closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep, forcefully pushing his honed instincts that kept him awake aside in order to do so.

* * *

When he awoke later, Lancelot was treated to a sight of gun barrels pointed in his direction. Not all surprising but the ones pointing the armaments at him were not the guards that escorted him earlier. Their uniform clearly denoted them as Eurasian soldiers.

"Get up, keep your hands up, and come with us." One the guards said gruffly. Lancelot kept his face passive and obliged, though he knew he could have easily taken them out without problems.

Lancelot was then deposited in the cafeteria alongside the crew and civilians of the ship. He made his way to a familiar face though; he did wonder why he was now wearing a military uniform.

"Lancelot-san." Kira greeted him with a relieved smile as Lancelot sat down.

"It's good to see you alright Kira." He told the young man.

Kira nodded. "Yes, but I should say the same for you. You've been in the brig this whole since coming aboard the Archangel haven't you?"

Lancelot nodded. "Yes, but I assure you it's nothing." He began to look around taking note of the guards posted outside. "So, care to bring me up to speed on the situation?" Kira nodded and began telling him what had happened.

Kira told him of their attempt on reaching Artemis, the base they were on currently. Their subsequent encounter with ZAFT forces and Kira's fight with the prototype mobile suits of the Atlantic Federation that was stolen by ZAFT. During their talk, Lancelot was also introduced to Kira's friends.

Their conversation was soon broken however by the appearance of two Eurasian officers.

* * *

Lancelot could feel his blood boil as the Eurasian officer began manhandling Miriallia. Kira himself lost it first and stood up already declaring himself the pilot of the Strike. Lancelot was impressed at Kira's reflexes. The portly officer attempted to punch Kira, but the young pilot easily grabbed the man's wrist and elbow, stopping the blow; but he continued by placing his foot next the older man's outward foot, shifted his body and easily performed a side throwi, sending the older man on his back.

This action was not to be taken lightly by the other Eurasian officer, a man with a slimmer build and pale blonde hair roughly grabbed Kira by the collar of his uniform.

Unfortunately for the officer, Lancelot decided it was time to act. Before the officer could do anything he doubled over, courtesy of rather powerful hit to the gut, if Lancelot wasn't in his human form then there would have been a hole where his intestines were currently residing.

The two accompanying guards were already leveling their weapons at Lancelot. But the pseudo-servant was faster. Lowering himself to the floor, he made a strong sweep, knocking the Eurasian soldiers off their feet and on the floor. He was about to make a reach for the rifles when a shot rang out behind him, stopping his movements.

"That's enough!"

Lancelot looked over his shoulder to see the stocky officer already up and already pointing a gun at him. He looked angry. Good. When people are angry they make mistakes, he should know, he was a Berserker after all. Well, anger and madness were two different things but for the human mind, they might as well be one and the same.

The other soldiers he had downed had already gotten back up though Lancelot noted that the one he had cold-cocked was still heaving. He felt the butt of a rifle connect to the back of his head, not enough to knock him out, a little perk, but enough to jar his vision. Still, deciding to make the most of it, Lancelot intentionally fell to his knees and feigned injury.

"That's enough!" Kira exclaimed, boldly stepping in front of the man he had thrown. "I am the pilot of the Strike! I am a coordinator so piloting that mobile suit is well within my capabilities!"

Lancelot had to hand it to Kira. That was bold and self-damaging given the wince Kira showed when he was told he was basically a traitor to other coordinators and a valuable asset to the Earth Alliance.

He continued to watch discreetly as Kira was led away. At the same time, Kira's friends crowded around him to make sure he was alright, a cordial gesture for sure, but one that is not needed.

It wasn't long when explosions started rocking the base. The tremors could be felt even while on the Archangel. The distraction was enough for some of the officers to quickly take down the guards and once again regain control of the ship. Lancelot himself bolted as quickly as he could towards the Archangel's hangar.

* * *

"_Archangel, take off!" Issuing her command to the crew Murrue kept her wits about her as the Eurasian space fortress Artemis was starting to collapse around them. "I want this ship turned around, we'll use the back port to exit from the fortress." Nuemann confirmed the order and soon the Archangel was turning._

"_Captain!"_

_A burst transmission appeared on the screen, it was their chief engineer Kojiro Murdoch. _

"_What's wrong?" Natarle asked the head engineer._

"_That guy who's piloting the GINN just took off in it!"_

"_Ensign, on screen, try to get me a visual." Ordering her XO, Murrue and the rest of the bridge looked forwards as they're CIC produced what was needed._

* * *

Lancelot lurched the GINN forward as he saw a black mobile suit battle Kira in the Strike. Wanting to save the ammo in the GINN's meager ammo reserve for the heavy assault machine gun, Lancelot prompted the suit to draw its MA-M3 heavy sword.

Already, past experiences with a blade were coming back towards him; both his noble phantasm and personal skill entrusting him with the knowledge on what to do.

* * *

_Nicol Amalfi swore as he shifted the Blitz to dodge the rather large weapon the Strike was wielding, only for his alarms to go off. "Another one?" He muttered, but was surprised to see a GINN heading straight towards him, blade drawn. _

_The Blitz raised it's Trikeros shield, intercepting the sword. Sparks flew briefly as the GINN continued on its path, its momentum pushing the black mobile suit to the flight path of the Strike which was coming in for a vertical slice. _

_Making use of the gained momentum from the GINN's attack, Nicol gunned the thrusters in reverse and made it in time to avoid being bisected in two. Using the chance he was given Nicol urged the suit to fire its Gleipnir anchor to fire at the Strike's unprotected back, only for the projectile to be deflected as the GINN reappeared from below. _

_The two suits surprisingly didn't press the attack but retreated back towards the legged ship. Nicol tried to give chance but large explosions rocked the Blitz, bringing the suit's power level even lower._ _Still, the green haired red elite pressed on after the target while his two comrades Yzak Joule and Dearka Elmsman, pilots of the stolen prototypes Duel and Buster, soon joined him respectively. _

_It was futile though as by the time the made it out of the now collapsing space fortress, the legged ship had a rather good start and their mobile suits were running low on power. Nicol had no doubt Yzak and Dearka were frustrated at losing the legged ship again._

'_Still…' Nicol wondered. The GINN was moving a bit too fast and a bit too powerful that it was able to knock back the Blitz so easily and was able to protect the Strike. Something strange was going on, he wasn't sure what, but he knew, something was up. _

_That and when facing the GINN, Nicol could not help but feel uneasy, it was like he was staring down something that would eventually swallow him whole, an unprecedented force lurking within the machine. He shivered._

_Whoever was piloting that GINN left an ominous feeling in the elite pilot's bones._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well, I pumped up that chapter faster than I thought; anyway, sorry to disappoint if you were hoping to see Lancelot curb stomp his way onto the scene. I was hoping on an angle that Lancelot is somewhat like a retired soldier with a lot of baggage; of course he has secrets he wishes to keep, that of his Servant state being one of them.

As the story progresses he will interact with the prominent members of the Archangel, unfortunately there will still be plot points that I will have to follow as they are pretty solid motivations for the character, and this IS war so shit tends to happen.

Also in the case of Lancelot curb stomping, don't worry, there will be scenes where Lancelot will be running circle around the enemies, and yes that one of the scenes is during the ORB invasion, but not yet. Reasons why not, first he is not using the full power of knight of honor, so no he will not be using anything he will pilot as a Noble Phantasm, that's just TOO broken. Second, even though he can pilot mobile suits with the combination of knight of honor and eternal arms mastery, the weapon is still the same quality, so a GINN's weapon won't be able to do much.

Anyway, I hope this satisfies. Remember, read and review, any criticism will be appreciative, as long as they are not flames.

By the way, I am currently rewriting Magister Magi Berseker and I am slowly working on a third chapter, speed is slow. Same could be said on the fifth chapter of the Custodian. Well, progress is progress, so I will sign off now before writer's boulder decides to make a hasty comeback.

See Ya.


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